Saving time and avoiding lines is everything to me in the world of travel, and that's why I usually carry my luggage off the ship at its end.
While I usually opt for convenience in many aspects of travel, the disembarkation process is one notable exception.
When a cruise concludes, Royal Caribbean gives its guests options in how to get their belongings off the ship. There's a simple way to have your luggage taken off the ship for you and delivered to the cruise terminal.
I used to always leave my bags out the night before the cruise ends and then have them brought to the terminal. It was simple and it did make it easier to get off the ship the next morning.
But since I started carrying my luggage off the ship, it changed my outlook for the speed factor.
Carrying bags is the fastest way to get going
The top reason I'll carry my own bags off the ship is because it's the fastest way to get off the ship, out of the terminal, and on my way.
Those carrying their own bags off the ship can disembark the ship an hour or more before the first bags are delivered.
When you leave your luggage out, Royal Caribbean gives you an estimated time they'll be ready. That's the earliest time you can disembark the ship and have the bags waiting for you. You could go later, if you're taking your time eating breakfast or enjoying a few more minutes on the ship.
In many cases, I want to get going and expedite traveling home. I might be trying to make a specific high speed train home, or a flight booking.
When I cruise close to home and I'm driving my own car, I simply want to get home. Getting off the ship is like ripping the band-aid off in that I don't want to belabor the end of vacation and would rather get it over with.
Another benefit of being early off the ship is it minimizes the potential for traffic. I find traffic tends to build later in the morning, and lines at the cruise terminal pickup area are worse later in the morning.
One more compelling reason I like self-assist is I don't have to pack everything up the night before.
Since I don't have to leave my bags out in the hallway, I have more time to pack and less issues packing up what I need for the next day versus what can be in the checked luggage.
What to know before you try it
Carrying your own bags off the ship sounds great when you're sitting at home, but there are a few caveats you should be aware of before you try it.
To start, you'll need to be comfortable taking your own luggage with you without any assistance.
Royal Caribbean offers the option to take your own luggage off the ship, but you need to be able to easily carry all of it on your own. Plus anything and everyone else you're traveling with.
If you have mobility issues, lack the strength to carry heavy suitcases down stairs, or are also trying to juggle kids, this might not be the option for you.
In fact, I only discovered the virtues of taking my luggage off myself once my kids got older and it didn't feel like we were trying to move the Army of the Potomac.
The other potential issue is actually getting off the ship in the morning. Elevators will be busy, and it can be a challenge to get an elevator.
Ideally, you'll carry the bags down the stairs but that's not always possible.
Conventional wisdom says if you can't get an elevator going down, take one going up and then wait for it to head back down later.
"No long lines, no big crowds"
Other cruisers have found embracing self-assist carry is the way to go too.
OhiobornCAraised posted on Reddit why they prefer it too, "Getting through immigration and the cruise terminal was soooo smooth! No long lines, no big crowds to work through. It was marvelous. 10/10 experience and hope to be able to do it more in the future."
Substantial-Face-363 added, "Totally agree! We disembarked from the Encore a couple weeks ago at 6:30 am. We took all our bags and walked right off. No wait, no lines. It was amazing!"
"Just got off a ship a week ago . We did just this for our first time. Worked out great due to a tight flight schedule," wrote OldAdministration735.
I'll aspire to carry my own luggage off the ship whenever possible, even if I'm not in a rush to disembark necessarily.
I simply like being in control of when I can leave, and usually the time guests carrying their own luggage off the ship starts quite early.
I can't say I'm able to do this on every cruise, but I've definitely shifted towards embracing carrying my own bags off more and more.
